IVR systems are widely used as human/machine interfaces in a variety of applications. In an IVR system, a caller may communicate with a support center, call center and/or other information retrieval center. When the caller calls into the center, the caller may be presented with a welcome voice message and a variety of menu options. The menu options may be selected by entering a number on a touch-tone telephone and/or by speaking the number into a telephone. Selections from a computer display also may be allowed. The caller responses to the menu are typically used to route the caller to a desired destination, dispense information to the caller and/or collect information from the caller.
An IVR system may present the caller with voice queries and/or menu choices based upon a hierarchical scheme. More specifically, general voice queries often are presented first and, then, based on caller responses, more specific queries are presented, to help narrow and/or focus the caller's requests. IVR systems may be used by manufacturers for product support centers, by product suppliers to obtain product orders, by service providers such as hotels to obtain reservations, and in many other fields and applications.
One field in which IVR systems may be increasingly used is in the medical/pharmaceutical field. For example, IVR systems may be used to monitor clinical research. Specifically, contract research organizations may use IVR systems to implement clinical trials. In an IVR system that is used for clinical research, it may be desirable to comply with 21 CFR, Part 11, which defines requirements for clinical research that is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). IVR systems also may be used by medical practitioners for medical practice management.
IVR systems may be relatively expensive to design, deploy and manage. In an attempt to simplify the design, deployment and/or management of IVR systems, graphical user interfaces have been provided for IVR system designers. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,526 to Fawcett et al. entitled System and Method for Graphically Displaying and Navigating Through An Interactive Voice Response Menu; U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,527 to Porter et al. entitled Interactive Voice Response System; U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,790 to Narayanaswami entitled Graphical Voice Response System and Method Therefor; U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,444 to Palmer et al. entitled User-Definable Interactive System; U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,454 to Krishnan entitled Call Progress Graphical User Interface; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,198 to Hank et al. entitled Apparatus for Design and Simulation of Dialogue. Notwithstanding these graphical user interfaces, there may continue to be a need for IVR systems that can be designed, deployed and managed with relative ease.